Fort Worth, Texas – Paul Simson, 57, of Raleigh, N.C., earned medalist honors for the second time in three years following the second round of stroke play Sunday at the 2008 USGA Senior Amateur, being played at the par-71, 6,597-yard Shady Oaks Country Club.

Simson posted a 1-under 70 to go with his first-round 71. At 1-under 141, he was the only golfer in the 156-player field to finish stroke play under par, but was nonchalant after his round.

“I hit all 18 greens, and I had 35 putts,” said Simson about his second round. “It could have been better, it could have been worse, but it’s acceptable. Hey, all you want to do is get into match play.”

In 2006, Simson was a co-medalist with Bill Leonard at Victoria National Golf Club in Newburgh, Ind. While earning medalist honors at a USGA event for a third time – he was also a co-medalist at the 2004 Mid-Amateur at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Ga. – was nice, Simson knows the key to stroke play is learning about the golf course.

“This is a typical USGA course,” said Simson, who last month won his second British Senior Open Amateur Championship in three years. “If you hit the fairways, you’re in pretty good shape. If you miss the fairways, you’re in trouble. It’s a good course for a match-play event. I’m still learning about the greens. I had lots of very, very close putts that could have gone in today. But I’ll work a little bit on the irons this afternoon and get ready to tee it up tomorrow.“

Defending champion Stan Lee, 56, of Heber Springs, Ark., followed his first-round 1-over 72 with a 5-over 76. Although he easily advanced to match play, Lee said he was happy to be done with the stroke-play qualifying rounds.

"I’m relieved to get them over,” said Lee, who is trying to become the first to win consecutive championships since William Campbell won back-to-back Senior Amateurs in 1979-80. “I was really trying too hard today. I played good enough yesterday that I knew I had it made, and that’s a really bad feeling sometimes, because you try to play too conservatively and you end up screwing everything up, which I did.”

Mark Bemowski, 62, of Mukwonago, Wis., a three-time Senior Am finalist who won the title in 2004, safely advanced to match play, as did 1999 winner Bill Ploeger, 68, of Columbus, Ga., and two-time Senior Amateur champion Kemp Richardson, 62, of Laguna Niguel, Calif., who recorded back-to-back 1-under 72s.

“I think I played pretty good,” said Richardson, who won the championship in 2001 and 2003. “I like the course. You’ve just got to keep it in the right place on the greens.”

First-round leader Howie Knodt, 55, of Chula Vista, Calif., followed up his first-round 3-under 68 with a 5-over 76 but still advanced, as did a trio of USGA champions: 1986 U.S. Amateur winner Stewart “Buddy” Alexander, 55, of Gainesville, Fla.; 1972 U.S. Amateur champion Vinny Giles, 65, of Richmond, Va.; and 2002 U.S. Mid-Amateur winner George Zahringer, 55, of New York, N.Y.

An 11-for-6 playoff will be held Monday at 8:30 a.m. CDT to determine the final match-play spots. The USGA Senior Amateur continues Monday with the first round of match play. The second and third rounds will be played Tuesday, the quarterfinal and semifinal matches are on Wednesday, and the 18-hole championship final will be played Thursday.

The USGA Senior Amateur is one of 13 championships conducted annually by the United States Golf Association each year, 10 of which are strictly for amateurs.

Story written by Beth Murrison of the USGA Museum staff. For questions or comments, contact her at bmurrison@usga.org.

Fort Worth, Texas – Results following Sunday’s second round of stroke play at the 2008 USGA Senior Amateur Championship at the 6,597-yard, par-71 Shady Oaks Country Club (*=in playoff Monday morning for final match-play spots):

Paul Simson, Raleigh, N.C. - 71-70--141

George Marucci Jr, Villanova, Pa. - 73-70--143

Michael Kelly, Odenton, Md. - 74-69--143

Mitch Voges, Simi Valley, Calif. - 72-71--143

David Pocknall, Katy, Texas - 75-69--144

Eddie Lyons, Shreveport, La. - 71-73--144

Howie Knodt, Chula Vista, Calif. - 68-76--144

Kemp Richardson, Laguna Niguel, Calif. - 72-72--144

Ronald Vannelli, Edison, N.J. - 70-74--144

Tom Doughtie, Amarillo, Texas - 69-75--144

John Grace, Fort Worth, Texas - 74-71--145

David Strawn, Charlotte, N.C. - 72-74--146

Richard Umani, West Chester, Pa. - 71-75--146

Sam Farlow, Birmingham, Ala. - 73-73--146

Vinny Giles, Richmond, Va. - 73-73--146

Dave Denezza, Greensburg, Pa. - 69-78--147

Johnny Stevens, Wichita, Kan. - 74-73--147

Ralph Cotton, Colleyville, Texas - 75-72--147

Bill Smunk, Kingstree, S.C. - 76-72--148

Bruce Meyer, El Paso, Texas - 70-78--148

Don Bliss, St Louis, Mo. - 74-74--148

John Benson, Punxsutawney, Pa. - 73-75--148

Larry Netherton, Highlands Ranch, Colo. - 77-71--148

Mark Bemowski, Mukwonago, Wis. - 73-75--148

Stanford Lee, Heber Springs, Ark. - 72-76--148

Wayne Smith, Austin, Texas - 71-77--148

Bill Ploeger, Columbus, Ga. - 72-77--149

Frank Abbott, Napa, Calif. - 73-76--149

Jerry Cundari, Portland, Ore. - 77-72--149

Joseph Keller, Osterville, Mass. - 75-74--149

Sam Till Jr, Fort Wayne, Ind. - 74-75--149

Bruce Scamehorn, Winter Haven, Fla. - 71-79--150

Denny Alexander, Fort Worth, Texas - 74-76--150

Greg Kendall, Sioux Falls, S.D. - 73-77--150

John Long, Centreville, Va. - 72-78--150

John Pallin, Kenosha, Wis. - 75-75--150

Jonathan Verity, Beaufort, S.C. - 73-77--150

Michael Shelton, Belton, Mo. - 74-76--150

Paul Murphy, Arlington, Mass. - 80-70--150

Randy Nichols, Connersville, Ind. - 72-78--150

Stephen Bell, Denver, Colo. - 75-75--150

Alistair Catto, South Hadley, Mass. - 77-74--151

Bill Heldmar, Tulsa, Okla. - 74-77--151

Frank Travetto, Bartlett, Ill. - 75-76--151

George Zahringer, New York, N.Y. - 77-74--151

Larry Daniels, Seattle, Wash. - 76-75--151

Stewart Alexander, Gainesville, Fla. - 69-82--151

Thomas McGraw, Montgomery, Texas - 76-75--151

Arthur Pierse, Ireland - 75-77--152

Dan Bieber, Alamo, Calif. - 74-78--152

Frank Ford III, Charleston, S.C. - 77-75--152

Kelly Roberts, Canada - 75-77--152

Norman Swenson, Boynton Beach, Fla. - 77-75--152

Randy Reznicek, Vista, Calif. - 75-77--152

Sid Moore, Magnolia, Ark. - 78-74--152

Thomas Bartolacci, Washington Crossing, Pa. - 73-79--152

Thomas Bohardt, Cleveland, Ohio - 76-76--152

Timothy Pope, Spartanburg, S.C. - 79-73--152

*B Shawn McLoughlin, Newtown, Conn. - 78-75--153

*Bob Hammersla, Greenville, S.C. - 79-74--153

*Carey Watson, Coral Springs, Fla. - 77-76--153

*Edward Patridge, Birmingham, Ala. - 76-77--153

*John Baldwin, West Palm Beach, Fla. - 74-79--153

*John Felker, Signal Mountain, Tenn. - 74-79--153

*Larry Clark, Kingston, Ga. - 79-74--153

*Logan Jackson, Winston Salem, N.C. - 78-75--153

*Mike Rice, Houston, Texas - 75-78--153

*Ray Womack, Burlington, N.C. - 80-73--153

*Steven Welker, Maricopa, Ariz. - 70-83--153

Failed to Qualify

Charlie Horn, Marana, Ariz. - 78-76--154

David Watterworth, Charlotte, N.C. - 80-74--154

Donald Blanton, Selma, Ala. - 80-74--154

Douglas Farr, Monroe, La. - 73-81--154

Jim Fuchs, Richmond, Ind. - 75-79--154

Jim Hartley, Carlsbad, Calif. - 78-76--154

Jim Knoll, Sunnyvale, Calif. - 76-78--154

John Hebert, Scottsdale, Ariz. - 79-75--154

Larry Barnacle, Pine Springs, Minn. - 74-80--154

Skip Runnels, Richmond, Ind. - 74-80--154

Donald Crump, Atlanta, Ga. - 79-76--155

Jack Rector, Thousand Oaks, Calif. - 77-78--155

Jim Whisman, Sparks, Nev. - 81-74--155

Kelly Crone, Littleton, Colo. - 80-75--155

Matthew Bellis, Ambler, Pa. - 76-79--155

Mike Bell, Indianapolis, Ind. - 75-80--155

Mike Rollyson, Boca Grande, Fla. - 79-76--155

Rick Ten Broeck, Chicago, Ill. - 79-76--155

Skip Tendall, North Potomac, Md. - 79-76--155

Stu Grendahl, Mcfarland, Wis. - 77-78--155

Thomas Mish, Grapevine, Texas - 81-74--155

William Lee, New Haven, Conn. - 78-77--155

Bill Moor, Birmingham, Ala. - 77-79--156

Cy Kilgore, Marblehead, Mass. - 76-80--156

Dennis Vaughn, Campbellsville, Ky. - 77-79--156

Denny Taylor, Gladstone, Ore. - 75-81--156

Frank Brame, Alexandria, La. - 76-80--156

Frank Schmidt, Waterloo, Iowa - 80-76--156

John Whitmore, Alexandria, Va. - 80-76--156

Paul Nunez Jr, Wilbraham, Mass. - 78-78--156

Scott Holloway, Eagle, Idaho - 81-75--156

Dann Merrell, West Palm Beach, Fla. - 76-81--157

David McCook, Hastings, Minn. - 77-80--157

Rick Westwood, Wellington, Fla. - 83-74--157

Stan Fischer, Richmond, Va. - 76-81--157

Taylor Metcalfe, Glendale, Ohio - 78-79--157

Thomas Lyons, Pleasanton, Calif. - 79-78--157

William Garahan, Rock Hill, S.C. - 83-74--157

Bob Martin, Phoenix, Ariz. - 78-80--158

David Hambly, Bluffton, S.C. - 84-74--158

John Fife, Albuquerque, N.M. - 77-81--158

Richard Marlowe, Youngstown, Ohio - 80-78--158

Ron Hunter, Jasper, Ga. - 77-81--158

Ronnie Tumlin, St Augustine, Fla. - 79-79--158

Russ Berkoben, Perrysburg, Ohio - 77-81--158

Sandy McCall, The Woodlands, Texas - 75-83--158

Stephen Maddox, Asheville, N.C. - 76-82--158

Thomas McGreevy, Huntington Beach, Calif. - 80-78--158

Timothy Cox, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. - 75-83--158

Bruce Wold, Novato, Calif. - 79-80--159

David Spannbauer, Green Cove Springs, Fla. - 79-80--159

Del Kinney Jr, Great Barrington, Mass. - 80-79--159

Fredrick Steffers, Colorado Springs, Colo. - 81-78--159

Herb Fisher, The Woodlands, Texas - 81-78--159

Joe Hart, Bluefield, Va. - 75-84--159

Michael Uptegraff, Irvine, Calif. - 79-80--159

Peter Dahlberg, Fort Worth, Texas - 83-76--159

Robert Pappa, Roswell, Ga. - 82-77--159

Thomas Nesbitt, Nashville, Tenn. - 80-79--159

Bert Walker, Indian Wells, Calif. - 82-78--160

Bob Gray, Missoula, Mont. - 81-79--160

David Lucks, Kirkwood, Mo. - 79-81--160

Frank Mihalek, Canada - 81-79--160

Kent Frandsen, Lebanon, Ind. - 81-79--160

Robert Wayland, Belleair, Fla. - 81-80--161

Travis Gamble, Wauna, Wash. - 81-80--161

Van Salmans, Chicago, Ill. - 77-84--161

Al Pineault, San Antonio, Texas - 81-81--162

Bob Klug, Pinehurst, N.C. - 90-72--162

Robert McIntyre, Westfield, N.J. - 82-80--162

William Boockford, Glen Ellyn, Ill. - 77-85--162

Cannon Randall, Logan, Utah - 84-79--163

Curt Knorr, Atlanta, Ga. - 76-87--163

Rick Herpich, Orchard Lake, Mich. - 80-83--163

Michael Arnold, San Antonio, Texas - 84-80--164

Bill Barnes, Carmel, Ind. - 79-86--165

Murray Krambeer, Bellevue, Neb. - 82-84--166

Ray Richard, Bourne, Mass. - 76-90--166

Robert Stevenson, Buffalo, N.Y. - 84-82--166

Shigeru Matsui, Honolulu, Hawaii - 86-80--166

David Bradford, Provo, Utah - 85-82--167

Don Jorgenson, Tucson, Ariz. - 83-85--168

Gary Fox, Northridge, Calif. - 87-81--168

William Dobbs, Tulsa, Okla. - 83-86--169

Bill Barry Jr, Hampden, Mass. - 84-87--171

Thomas Major, Brookfield, Wis. - 91-83--174

James Brady, Seattle, Wash. - 77-DQ

Fort Worth, Texas – Pairings for Monday’s first round of match play at the 2008 USGA Senior Amateur Championship at the 6,597-yard, par-71 Shady Oaks Country Club:

WHO CAN PLAY – The USGA Senior Amateur Championship is open to amateurs who will have reached their 55th birthday on or before Sept. 20, 2008, and who have a USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 7.4.

ENTRIES – Entries for the 2008 championship closed Aug. 6. The USGA accepted 2,393 entries for the 2008 USGA Senior Amateur Championship. It marked the eighth consecutive year entries topped 2,200. The record of 2,498 entries was set in 2005.

CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY – This will be the 54th USGA Senior Amateur Championship. It was first played in 1955.

SCHEDULE – Practice rounds will be held Sept. 18 (Thursday) and Sept. 19 (Friday). The starting field of 156 players will play two rounds of stroke play, with the low 64 scorers advancing to match play. The schedule is as follows:

Sept. 20 (Saturday) – First round of stroke play

Sept. 21 (Sunday) – Second round of stroke play

Sept. 22 (Monday) – First round of match play

Sept. 23 (Tuesday) – Second and third rounds of match play

Sept. 24 (Wednesday) – Quarterfinals and semifinals, match play

Sept. 25 (Thursday) – Final, match play (18 holes)

PAR AND YARDAGE – Shady Oaks Country Club will be set up 6,597 (stroke play)/6,679 (match play) yards and par 35-36-71.

COURSE SET-UP – The fairways will measure 0.40-0.50 inches in height. The intermediate rough will measure 1½ inches, with a width of approximately 6 feet. The primary rough will stand 2½ inches high. The greens will measure approximately 10.5 feet on the Stimpmeter.

COURSE RATING AND SLOPE – The USGA Course RatingTM for Shady Oaks Country Club is 73.0; Slope Rating® is 137.